Today was our first day in beautiful Costa Rica! We landed in Costa Rica late last night and went right to meet our host families who were awaiting our arrival in Heredia, our home for the next two weeks. This morning we had a chance to walk though Heredia both on our way to the university from our home-stays and later on a formal walking tour. Heredia is known as the city of flowers, and today we got to see first hand the beauty and unique culture it has to offer.

So far, Costa Rica has been a little like what I expected, but also surprising. One of the main things I expected was the presence of American culture within Costa Rica’s own culture, and this expectation was spot on. On our short drive to our host mom’s house, I was struck by the huge amount of American fast food chains I saw. On our tour today I also saw many stores similar to what we have in the US, and also a growing number of American retailers such as Walmart and Payless. Another surprising aspect of Costa Rica is how varied the architecture is. There’s a mix of old, historic churches and houses, but also brand new shopping malls and housing. I wasn’t expecting this much variation, but I am excited to learn about the social and economic forces that are making this development happen, as well as its effects.

I’ve also noticed that the Ticos are very friendly people, which we were told prior to coming, but now I can see first hand that this is true. People address each other with respect and politeness and seem to have an easy-going attitude. Even though our host mom doesn’t speak any English, she is always willing to help us in whatever way she can. This has given me a great first impression of Costa Rica and its people.

On our walking tour of Heredia, we saw the central plaza of Heredia and the central market which were both true to my expectations of Costa Rica and Latin American culture in general. I’m excited to go back and experience these places more because they seem to embody the heart of Costa Rica’s culture.